Tuesday, November 8, 2011

so read the text from my lady friend, as i sat ensconced in grading obligations and further demands of unsung assignments on a tedious afternoon. it was time to go.

after months and months of nothing going right, for one reason or five billion others, some things went right today. i love the way sunshine changes everything. it's a changing season, and the weather can't make up its mind as to whether or not to accept winter and forget summer, or tease us with promises of both in the same forecast. there is dew. there is fog. there are beautiful leaves everywhere, and short skirts when it's hot, and short skirts and mittens when it's not. this season suits my mind. i haven't yet made it up as to whether to jump into this thing or that, whether it's a matter of heart or training or genius or opportunity. i haven't decided to excel. and there's anything to do other than fail. so what now?

now, we have a great day. we started off with rain and a too-early wake up and a crying departure to daycare and a fendered fixie ride to a day full of grading. we did all of this without a lady friend. then there was much to do and it was done and it was good and it rained, a lot, even though it only had a 40% chance of happening, it soaked the streets and my pants as i pedaled home and back for hot lunch and to wait for the fedex guy. the computer i was supposed to buy got taken off the market. i didn't mail those photo discs, again.

half the day was a piece of crap.

then, the sun came out. little by little, it burned through the haze and made everything a little softer and warmer and brighter in a glowing kind of way, and i smiled, in spite of myself and everything else. the leaves got shinier and yellower and the streets dried up.

and my bike arrived.

i began to drive through the stacks of papers, planning my afternoon route and thinking of whether or not to test the tubular wheel. i thought of hills and time taken and how soon i could leave and how much work was left to do before i could sprint home.

and then work was done. i sprinted home. i opened the box. i built the bike. i checked it. i adjusted it. i threw on shoes and a helmet and jacket and took off.

the bike is damn fast.

even though i could only ride for 20 minutes and still be late to pick up the girls, that 20 minutes cleared up all the crap of the last however long, and put a smile right smack in the middle of my face. i picked up the girls still smiling. i made them dinner and didn't yell. i washed the dishes bare-handed to get the grease out of my fingerprints. i'm still smiling. it was a good day.